555 Telephone Exchange (Formerly KLondike-5)

The 555 telephone exchange is home to nearly every American television and film character. You can’t call them, however. For unknown reasons, the only people who can place a call to a 555 number are those who have a 555 number.

Another curiosity of this isolated little world: nobody ever dials a 555 number just to catch up, or ask for store information, or any of the other mundane uses the rest of us have for the telephone. Every phone conversation is a matter of some drama. There is always an urgent message to deliver, or a threat, or an impassioned plea. Because of this, a day spent people watching in the 555 can be rewarding or suspenseful, but is never boring.

The 555 is also a living museum of telephony. Every device ever invented is still in use. They range from hand-cranked sets--these are typically used by people who cling to the old KLondike-5 name--to gadgets so modern they are not on the market yet; the users of these devices usually hold them in such a way that their logos are prominently displayed.

Among these unusual telephone behaviors, there is one that stands out: whereas the rest of us simply hang up the phone at the end of the call, the residents of the 555 first take a few seconds to stare intently at the receiver.

Oh, I almost forgot. Just about everybody with a 555 number is really good-looking.